Hearthstone’s latest expansion, *At the Heart of the Emerald Dream*, marks the Year of the Raptor and introduces a return to its Warcraft roots. Lead Designer Cora Georgiou and Senior Game Designer Aleco Gereco discuss the successful Starcraft II crossover, the significance of player feedback in shaping this year’s roadmap, and the meticulous process behind creating a new core set. The team expresses excitement about exploring the Emerald Dream theme and hopes players will enjoy the new stories and characters featured in this expansion.
The Exciting Launch of Hearthstone’s *At the Heart of the Emerald Dream*
With the unveiling of the latest Hearthstone expansion *At the Heart of the Emerald Dream* and the celebration of the Year of the Raptor, which marks a fresh rotation of the basic card set and older expansions, we had the privilege of engaging with **Cora Georgiou**, Lead Designer, and **Aleco Gereco**, Senior Game Designer.
In light of the recent game updates and a nostalgic nod to the roots of Hearthstone in this year’s roadmap, we seized the opportunity to pose a few questions to them. Our gratitude goes out to them for their valuable insights!
Reflecting on the Success of the Starcraft II Crossover
The previous expansion featured a unique mini-set that served as a crossover with Starcraft II, achieving remarkable success. We inquired about their satisfaction with player reception and how this innovative project came to fruition.
*Cora Georgiou*: *We are genuinely thrilled with the positive response to this mini-set. Our goal was to encapsulate the essence of the three Starcraft races and provide players with an authentic Starcraft experience within Hearthstone. It seems we’ve succeeded, as the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.*
*Aleco Gereco*: *The idea for this crossover was initially presented during the development of The Darkness of the Beyond expansion, which already had a space theme. This mini-set was the perfect opportunity to bring our vision to life, and we are delighted with the outcome.*
When asked about future crossovers, particularly with franchises like Overwatch or even non-Blizzard titles akin to Magic: The Gathering, Cora added:
*C.G*: *Such opportunities must align with our project themes, much like the SC2 crossover. This year’s roadmap appears full, making it challenging to explore new collaborations. However, we’re open to possibilities in the future—never say never!*
The Year of the Raptor: A Return to Warcraft’s Roots
This year marks a significant shift as Hearthstone unveils its roadmap and identifies three expansions deeply rooted in the Warcraft universe. This approach contrasts sharply with previous years, where the game’s direction often felt uncertain. We asked what led to this change: player feedback, or the success of expansions like TITANS?
*C.G*: *It’s likely a combination of factors. Warcraft is central to Hearthstone’s identity, and while some past expansions diverged towards themes more closely tied to Hearthstone itself, we felt it was time to return to our roots. The theme of At the Heart of the Emerald Dream has been on our minds for some time, but the right opportunity hadn’t arisen until now. Last year, we explored lighter themes to commemorate Hearthstone’s 10th anniversary with titles like Paradise in Peril and the Mystifix Workshop, making this year the perfect time to embrace our Warcraft heritage again. I’m confident long-time fans will share our excitement for this return.*
As the Year of the Raptor commences, we can expect significant changes, including a card rotation and an entirely new core set. We inquired about how the creation of a new core set unfolds, including what cards stay or go, as well as any new features.
*A.G*: *Creating a new core set is a meticulous process. The primary objective is to ensure it complements the accompanying expansion, in this case, At the Heart of the Emerald Dream. We assess which cards remain, which ones need to go, and we also adjust the power levels of certain cards, either buffing or nerfing them to ensure a balanced gameplay experience at launch. Currently, we are pleased with the new set, and should any cards require balancing post-launch, we are prepared to make adjustments as necessary.*
Lastly, we discussed the thematic choice of *At the Heart of the Emerald Dream* as the flagship expansion for this new core set.
*C.G*: *This theme has been a long-standing interest for our team. During brainstorming sessions for new expansions, the Emerald Dream concept frequently emerged. However, we were advised to wait until the narrative was appropriately developed in World of Warcraft. Now that the storyline has reached a point where we can explore this concept, we are thrilled to finally bring it into Hearthstone. It’s a vast and enchanting universe, and our art team has excelled in capturing its essence. We are excited to weave new stories and feature beloved characters from WoW, and we hope players enjoy this expansion as much as we enjoyed creating it.*
Our editorial team is eager to provide you with a meta update to help you master the best decks and achieve the highest ranks. With the new expansion and card nerfs, discover the standout decks you need to play!
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